Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

recent posts

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Family

  • He’s still here… and other sweet!s

    Tom and I once spent a week in a downtown Austin high-rise which had fabulous views of the city. It was especially beautiful at night, with the Texas State Capitol and other downtown buildings all lit up. Unfortunately, that high-rise was Brackenridge Hospital, and Tom wasn't in any shape to appreciate those gorgeous views. He was recovering from…

  • Mother’s Day, Husband’s Day, and other May Sweet!s

    About 50 years ago, this little cutie was collecting turtles near the Magothy River …pretty much having a Tom-Sawyer-like childhood in the Maryland woods where he grew up with his 8 brothers. He just turned 60, but still loves playing in the woods around our house, discovering and observing wildlife, and he still looks pretty dang cute…

  • Just Call Me Ironmom

      Be proud to wear you. ~Dodinsky   Last Saturday my oldest completed an Ironman Triathlon in the Woodlands, Texas. He was up around 3 am to eat breakfast, left for the competition site at 5 am, and started the swimming portion at 7 am.  Around 14 hours later, he sprinted across the finish line. In case you're…

  • Shallue Go Bragh! (revisited)

      May you always walk in sunshine.May you never want for more.May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door. Happy St. Patrick's Day! This is mostly a repost, slightly updated, but when you can trace your husband's family back to Ireland in just a handful of generations, what else is there to blog about…

  • As 2016 drifts away…

        So I'm sitting here sipping champagne, listening to fireworks in the distance, thinking about 2016. There are only a few hours left of it, and while it brought heartache, it also brought many moments of joy.  I lost my mom this year, but I was able to spend a lot of time with…

  • For those of you dealing with aging parents…

        This will be my first Christmas as an orphan.  Our Christmas celebrations, not to mention our lives, changed drastically after my dad passed away 3 years ago. Instead of taking a road trip to Houston and gathering with siblings and kids in my childhood home to celebrate, TG and I took a one-day road trip to…

  • I had no idea…

    I had no idea, when I decided to lug the recycling up to the bin tonight, that a full moon was waiting for me at the top of our winding path. It peeked at me from between the trees, but then BOO! there it was, resting just above the silhouetted hill in front of our house, shining bold and bright and…

  • One of life’s sweet surprises…

      It's hard for me to believe it now, but there was a time in my life when I wasn't sure I wanted to be a mother. I mean, kids can be so annoying and demanding! (I know I was!)     I thank God every single day that he changed my mind and blessed…

  • Where Do I Begin?

    My dear, dear blog, I have had so many good intentions of writing to you over the past few weeks, but alas, they got lost in the dust stirred up by time racing by. And now here it is, the first of December, and all I've written you since August are two little birthday posts.  Enough is…

  • Lesson #85 (Happy Birthday in Heaven, Mama!)

      When I asked my mom what she wanted for her birthday last year, she thought for a minute, then said "More time."  I had a feeling it would be the last birthday we celebrated with her on earth; I think she knew it would be. And who knows… maybe she got her birthday wish. Maybe…